Managerial
changes have finally reached the Ministry of Petroleum. The new minister of
petroleum preferred to change managing directors of four subsidiary companies
in a single day. Seyed Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh, however, kept his word about
appointing directors from within the ministry.

Minister of Petroleum

Managing Director of
NIOC

Managing Director of
NIGC

Head of IIES

NIOC: A Man from Fars and South Oil Regions

Gholamhossein
Nozari has been appointed as managing director of the National Iranian Oil
Company (NIOC). Some say that his name was on a 10-member list which was
initially presented to Majlis Energy Commission as likely candidates for
Ministry of Petroleum portfolio. He has already worked as managing director of
the National Iranian Central Oil company. Gholamhossein Nozari was born in
1954 and holds a masterís degree in industrial management. He was deputy
chairman of Majlis Energy Commission in the Fourth Majlis and was elected
member of Majlis Development Commission in the Fifth Majlis. He has been
member of the central council of the Islamic Republic Party (South Labor
Branch), member of ad hoc Majlis committee on budget and chairman of assembly
of Fars province deputies. Gholamhossein Nozari was in charge of air defense
in southern Iranian regions during the Iran-Iraq war and played a great role
in protecting oil installations. He also worked as head of security
organizations of the National Iranian South Oil Company and was among founders
of the Islamic Society of Oil Industry Staff. The work record of the new
managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company also includes
chairmanship of board of directors at North Drilling Company, chairman of
board of directors of the National Iranian Drilling Company and member of
board of directors of Petroleum Engineering and Development Company.

Managing Director of
NPC

Deputy Minister for
Management

Deputy Minister for
Int'l Affairs

Managing Director of
NIORDC

NIORDC: Nematzadeh Stays at Ministry of Petroleum

Perhaps Mohammad
Reza Nematzadeh was the best person to take the helm at National Iranian Oil
Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC) under present conditions. Of
course, he was more willing to be reinstated at the National Petrochemical
Company to reap the fruit of his efforts, but Hamaneh brought him to National
Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company to show that refining and
distribution are among his priorities. Although, Nematzadeh needs no
introduction after serving three terms as minister and spending eight years at
the Ministry of Petroleum, it would suffice to say that he is a graduate of
Polytechnic University of California and has passed industrial management
courses at Berkeley University of the United States. He was first interviewed
by martyred president, Mohammad Ali Rajaei, which led to his entry into the
Iranian Cabinet. He was first appointed minister of labor and social affairs
in 1980. A year later, he was appointed minister of industries and mines and
was appointed deputy prime minister in 1981. In the interval between 1982 and
1985, Nematzadeh was appointed member of board of directors and deputy
managing director of Iran Defense Industries Organization and was then
appointed managing director of TAVANIR (Power Production and Transmission)
Company. In 1990 and for the second time, he was appointed minister of
industries in Hashemiís Cabinet. He kept that post for seven years until
Zanganeh invited him to join the Ministry of Petroleum and plan revolutionary
changes in Iranís petrochemical industry. Now he will be responsible for
excessive growth in domestic consumption of gasoline and oil products.

NPC: A Man with Different Experiences

When Akbar
Torkan was managing director of Industries Development and Renovation
Organization, Asghar Ebrahimi-Asl was his deputy for research, planning, and
technology development. When Torkan went to Ministry of Petroleum, Ebrahimi
was appointed client of phases 4 and 5 of South Pars gas fieldís development
plan. He has not replaced Nematzadeh at the new building of the National
Petrochemical Company through official action of Hamaneh. Ebrahimi was
governor of Ahvaz, Dasht-e Azadegan, and Khorramshahr in 1979 and was
appointed governor general of Ilam province and representative of Supreme
Defense council from 1979 to 1981. Afterwards, he was introduced as governor
general of West Azarbaijan province and then went to Ministry of Petroleum in
1982 to work for three years as member of board of directors of the National
Iranian Oil Company and managing director of the National Iranian Offshore Oil
Company. However, he left Ministry of Petroleum in 1985 and was chairman of
board of directors and managing director of Tehran Regional Water Organization
up to 1987. He was appointed deputy managing director of Iran Defense
Industries Organization for logistics from 1985 to 1986. Ebrahimi spent the
longest period of his career at Tehran Metro Company where he worked as the
official in charge of Tehran Metro project from 1986 to 1997. Finally, when
Akbar Torkan went to Industries Development and Renovation Organization, he
appointed Ebrahimi Asl as his deputy.

NIGC: Resurgence of Past Directors

Managing
director of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) was appointed from within the
ministry. Seyed Reza Kasaeizadeh is among long-standing directors of Ministry
of Petroleum, which has now replaced his old friend, Mohammad Mallaki, as
managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company, as a result of which he
will have to leave the Petroleum Engineering and Development Company. The most
important achievement of Kasaeizadeh in that company was accomplishing
Neka-Rey oil pipeline project which was later known as the CROS project.
Kasaeizadeh was born in 1949 in Ardestan, a city in the Isfahan province. He
is a graduate of mechanical engineering from Elm-o-Sanat (Science and
Industry) University. He came to the Ministry of Petroleum in 1975 and has
worked as head of repairs and renovation of Isfahan refinery as well as
director of refining affairs and director of integrative management department
of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company. He has also
worked as a member of the board of directors of the National Iranian Oil
Refining and Distribution Company.

Nejad Hosseinian:

Reinstated, Takes Charge of Caspian
Affairs

Merging Caspian
Affairs Department into International Affairs Department of National Iranian
Oil Company caused Asadollah Salehiforouz to lose his place as a senior
director at Ministry of Petroleum. Although policies taken toward Caspian Sea
affairs are of utmost importance to Iran and drillings in the sea will start
as of next year to double its sensitivity, it seems that merging the two
international affairs and Caspian Sea affairs departments was a logical step
because following up Iranís policies in the Caspian Sea should be carried out
within the framework of the Caspian Sea Oil Company. After merging the two
departments, Mohammad Hadi Nejad Hosseinian was reinstated by Hamaneh for four
more years as deputy minister of petroleum for international affairs, though
his responsibilities have increased. The Caspian Sea will play a pivotal role
in the future of oil activities of Iran.

Manpower Deputy and New Head of IIES

Another change made by Vaziri Hamaneh was appointing
Mansour Moazzemi, who previously worked at the National Petrochemical Company,
as the new deputy minister for manpower affairs. Meanwhile, Mehdi Asali,
former head of Institute for International Energy Studies (IIES) said goodbye
to the institute a while ago. Ali Asghar Zareíei, whose name was on the list
of Ministry of Petroleum candidates, will take his place to continue his
scientific activities in the field of energy. We will probably be witnessing
extensive changes in Ministry of Petroleum and its affiliated companies over
the upcoming days; changes which will be directly supervised by the new
minister of petroleum.